World News - Bright Lights, Big Wallet Average Price Of Manhattan Apartment Rises To Over $1.1 Million

The average price of a Manhattan apartment rose to more than $1.14 million in the fourth quarter of last year, up 5 percent compared to the same period the year before, according to two new real estate reports. The median price for the apartments was $760,000, a new record, beating the figure from 2005 by 9 percent, said the reports released Wednesday. The median value is the middle price, at which half the sales are higher and half are lower. The median price is also an important indicator of a market's stability, said Greg Heym, who authored the reports for two Manhattan real estate firms, Brown Harris Stevens and Halstead Property. Heym is the chief economist for Terra Holdings, which owns both firms. Heym, who also serves on the city's Economic Advisory Panel, said Manhattan is experiencing a more balanced market, meaning that price increases have become more sustainable - unlike in 2004, when double-digit gains were common. ... http://www.cbsnews.com

Many adults in Iraq believe the coalition effort has been negative, according to a poll by the Iraq Centre for Research and Strategic Studies and the Gulf Research Center. 90 per cent of respondents think the situation in their country was better before the U.S.-led invasion. The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,000 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 22,500 troops have been wounded in action. There has been no official inquiry on the actual number of Iraqi casualties. A volunteer group of British and U.S. academics and researchers—known as Iraq Body Count (IBC)—estimates that more than 52,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed during the military intervention. In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. ...http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/14282

General George Casey, the United States' Army's senior commander in Iraq, will most likely be forced to pay the price of President George Bush's strategic failures in the war in Iraq. The New York Times reported that President Bush plans to fire the general, who was supposed to complete his service this coming summer, within the next few weeks. The report said that Bush did not like his commanders' strategy, which aimed for retreat without victory, and Bush is taking advantage of the replacement of Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld with Robert Gates in order to get rid of Rumsfeld's senior general in Iraq as well. Bush is expected to announce the new strategy he wishes to outline for the war in Iraq. These past few days, Bush has been convening with his advisors, and will reveal his plans at the end of these meetings. The issue of the temporary reinforcement of the troops in Iraq hovers in the background. ...http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3347619,00.html

FBI agents documented more than two dozen incidents of possible mistreatment at the Guantanamo Bay military base, including one detainee whose head was allegedly wrapped in duct tape for chanting the Quran and another reported to have pulled out his hair after hours in a sweltering room. Documents released Tuesday by the FBI offered new details about the harsh interrogation practices used by military officials and contractors when questioning so-called enemy combatants. The reports describe a female guard who detainees said handled their genitals and wiped menstrual blood on their face. Another interrogator reportedly bragged to an FBI agent about dressing as a Catholic priest and “baptizing” a prisoner. Some military officials and contractors told FBI agents that the interrogation techniques had been approved by the Defense Department, including directly by former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/02/terror/main2324819.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_2324819

Every January when dog licenses come up for renewal, dog lovers at this ski town go wild with anticipation, panting for a shot at the finite number up for grabs. They start counting the dogs rumored to have died or moved away with their owners. And if the license lottery leaves them empty-handed, they can always try pestering the mayor, who can issue his own licenses for good cause or compassion. "It's the worst issue I deal with," said Mayor Tom Pollard. "The day after I was elected I got my first call I hadn't even gotten to the job. They disguised it as a question about garbage service, then finished with, 'Can I have a dog?'" To protect the alpine watershed, an ordinance limits the number of dogs to 12 percent of the human population, with few exceptions. No four-legged visitors are allowed, even inside cars, and violators can go to jail. ...http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2766776

Philippine officials defended their decision yesterday to transfer a U.S. Marine convicted of rape from a local jail to the American Embassy, and an attorney for the victim filed a contempt of court complaint against them. The United States also announced that it would go ahead next month with joint military exercises with Philippine forces -- exercises it had earlier canceled, citing the custody dispute. The victim's attorney, Evalyn Ursua, said the Philippine secretaries of the interior and justice violated the order of the Court of Appeals to keep Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith, 21, of St. Louis, in a Manila jail while he appeals his conviction and 40-year prison sentence. A 23-year-old Filipina accused Smith of sexually assaulting her in November 2005, as three other Marines purportedly cheered him on. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said the government had to take action "in order to forestall the further deterioration in our strategic relationship with the United States."...http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20070102-101505-4076r.htm